How to Fluff + Buff the Patio
The Distilled Version
I’m an encore career chef living in Oregon among the most beautiful vistas in the United States ~ and the most dedicated, creative food people.
I teach applied recipe development to help readers create the aesthetic of living and cooking they want in their lives. I don’t just publish recipes; I teach you how to become a better cook, a better baker ~ aesthetically.
Let’s get to the bottom of the aesthetics of food… what underlies our devotion that often goes unsaid.
Our Flora and Fauna
Fluff + Buff
In the season of blooms the colors I love surrounding myself with are pink, purple and yellow. It has always been so. Their generosity buffers our patio dinners, big boisterous blooms either within reach, or just over the fence line for the exclusive benefit of our nectar-loving hummers - and this season, bees and butterflies!.
Pink, purple and yellow engender the kind of lusty, dreamy moments that are the true illustrations of the season. It’s a visual I treat myself to any number of times a day, a quiet smile each time I pass.
Flowers are one of my “fluff and buff” strategies of simple, gracious living. Finishes, fixtures and flourishes. If you’ve ever worked in department store-type retail, you’ll know exactly what this means. I have not, but a dear friend spent her entire working life doing just that before finishing that career at Tiffany & Company.
A Simple Equation
The Sipper
Mix one part fresh, elegant patio food with two parts of the best sippers; toss lovingly with the dreamy visuals surrounding you. The result is a perfect evening.
In our two-part sipper are the traditional unit measures for a “wet” vodka martini, 2 : 1 Grey Goose vodka to Dolin dry vermouth, the glass edge kissed all around with lemon and a twist - or candied lemon in the bottom of the glass for a sweet surprise.
This season we’re concocting a steady supply of fruit and herb simple syrups. We chose to add a tablespoon of dark, sweet cherry simple syrup; we always finish with two shakes of Angostura bitters. Sublime.
Don’t forget to check the end of the post for an impromptu video of our Douglas Fir Martini!
A Bright Bite
Because Paul Caloca grew up and lived his pre-Oregon life in San Francisco and the Bay Area, ceviche was a staple. Often, we don’t fully recognize the riches of our own food environment until we have the perspective of living elsewhere. (Admittedly, Oregon is a pretty remarkable ‘perspective’ of riches.)
Shrimp Ceviche is wondrous, and couldn’t possibly be simpler. On Friday evenings, it more than meets our criteria for a no-cook summer meal. Other seafood options would be equally elegant. Dungenous crab, mussels, clams, delicate white fish like sole or sea bass.
This dish meets all my textural and taste qualifiers. Crunchy, spicy red onion; silky cucumber; the light bite of Serrano pepper and tender al dente shrimp in a lovely wash of fresh lime juice.
Though you can and should commit these simple measurements to memory, here’s a version to get you started, adapted from The Joy of Seafood by Chef Barton Seaver.
The Big Chill
I’m no longer called upon to produce ice cream or sorbet professionally. In fact, that was rarely the case in the trattoria I worked in because Maestro Gelato delivered remarkable gelato and sorbetto weekly.
Jeni Britton-Bauer, founder of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, is always in my pocket. If you enjoy homemade small-batch ice cream and sorbet, please snag a copy of her book.
We have 10# of apricots so we made Lambic Beer Apricot Sorbet. Lambic beers as a category are known as “sour beer” and often fruit flavored. Scoot to your neighborhood market or liquor store; ask for help locating it on the shelf. We chose Lindeman’s Framboise Lambic Beer to complement the apricots. One 12-oz bottle will make two batches.
The Douglas Fir liqueur video! We used it in a Doug Fir Martini. If you have access to young, light green fir tips, it’s a breeze to make. Let it steep for 30 days, giving a shake every few days. It’s a unique but beloved martini. We brought the martini components to a party; our friends loved it!
Give yourself a chance to exhale. We all know that summer patio pleasure. A beautiful plate, a special sipper, a buffer of flowers you love - with your favorite company. You’ll be enjoying the memory of that respite all summer long.
I wish you a summer of pink, purple and yellow.
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Oh how delicious!